Karen Stintz Drops Out of Mayoral Race

After days of conspicuous campaign silence, Karen Stintz (Ward 16, Eglinton-Lawrence) announced this morning her decision to exit the mayoral race.

“I knew more than anyone that I was in for a difficult race,” Stintz said during an 11 a.m. press conference at City Hall. She added, “I’m disappointed my vision and ideas did not gain the traction I had hoped.” Stintz also declared she will not run for city council: “After three terms I am proud of my accomplishments, and I believe I have served my city well.”

There was plenty of speculation this week that Stintz had been eyeing the exits. She’s been considered a non-factor in the race for some time, consistently polling in the single digits (earlier this month, Forum Research had Stintz at 4 per cent).

Stintz served as TTC chair before announcing her mayoral candidacy in February. During her tenure, the TTC introduced free wireless internet at subway stations, a new customer service charter, and the Crisis Link suicide prevention program. But Stintz was also criticized for changing her mind on the Scarborough subway-LRT debate, and throughout her mayoral campaign she struggled to differentiate herself from frontrunner John Tory.